by Tara Rose
“So he just got away with it?”
“I’m sorry. I know how close you and Zakia were at one time.”
She glanced at Ryder and Hugh in turn as she realized they hadn’t been in Chicago ten years ago. “Forgive me. We’ve been discussing this and you two don’t know any of the people. Zakia Washington and Karly Hunter were two subs that I hung out with once upon a time. They were roommates. Eddie was an abusive Dom, like Kane, and the two hated each other. They used to delight in stealing subs from each other. It was nothing more than a game to them.”
“Then it must be very upsetting for you to learn this,” said Hugh.
“It sucks.” She was close to tears, but she didn’t want to show that kind of weakness in front of Maddox and Julie.
“But what bothers me even more is why Maddox thought your presence here was connected to him seeing Eddie in town.” Hugh wasn’t looking at her now. He was glaring at Maddox.
“Ah…I shouldn’t have said that. I assumed Brynn knew that Eddie had never stood trial, and I also assumed she still kept in touch with everyone we all knew back then.”
“Didn’t Sean tell you that she said she hadn’t talked to anyone in years, and that her life was completely different now?”
The two eyed each other, and Brynn held her breath.
“Yeah. He told me that.”
“Which means neither you nor Sean believe it,” said Ryder. He cut his gaze toward Julie. “And what about you? Are you willing to give Brynn the benefit of the doubt here, or will you refuse to believe people can change as well? After all, both your Doms did. Surely you know everything about their checkered pasts by now.”
Julie looked really uncomfortable, and it was all Brynn could do not to pump her fist in the air. She drained her wine glass, and Hugh rose to refill it for her without asking. She’d need the whole bottle before this night was done.
“I acknowledge that people can change. Of course they can. I deal with the reality of that every day in my professional life. And yes, Sean and Maddox both did change. I know about their pasts, but they don’t talk about those times in their lives any longer. What they both told me earlier was that Brynn was part of their shared past, and she had been mixed up with Kane and Sarina. Since those are the two people who kidnapped me last summer, I hope you can understand my reluctance to simply accept Brynn with open arms.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” said Brynn. “But I assure you, I have not spoken to any of them in nearly ten years. And if Eddie is here, it’s not at my doing. But I sure would like to know why the hell he is in town. I don’t trust him. I never did and I never will. And I hope like hell it’s nothing more than a weird coincidence, but I’m finding that difficult to swallow right now.”
She took the wine glass from Hugh’s hand, trying to stop her own from trembling, and took a large sip. “And I will never in a million years believe he did not kill Zakia.”
“Why is that?” asked Ryder, quietly.
“Because I knew her. I knew her very well, and she was not a drug abuser. She took Xanax at times to sleep. She had a prescription for it. But she never would have taken too many and mixed with them with alcohol. She wasn’t an idiot. She was an intelligent woman who got mixed up with the wrong kinds of Doms. It happens to the best of us.”
“Tell us why you believe Eddie would have reason to kill her,” said Julie, sounding exactly like a shrink. But Brynn didn’t mind. That at least proved she was thinking now instead of reacting, and it gave Brynn hope that she, Maddox, and Sean weren’t lost causes.
“He and Kane were territorial over subs. They collected them the way some people collect salt and pepper shakers. It was a game to them. And when a sub rejected one of them for the other, they got mean and nasty. There were threats issued to each other, and ultimatums issued to the subs.”
She took another large sip before continuing. “Zakia didn’t like Eddie once she got to know him. He often ignored safewords and he was dangerous. Much more so than Kane ever was. They had a huge fight one day. She told Eddie that she wanted to get away from both of them, but Eddie didn’t believe her. He thought she wanted Kane, just like Sarina and Karly did. They’d both chosen Kane over Eddie. He freaked out and threatened to kill her if she tried to leave him, right there in front of witnesses. She was dead within a week.”
“I never knew any of that,” said Maddox. “I mean about the threats or the witnesses.”
“Really? I’m surprised to hear that.”
“Why?”
She studied Maddox’s face, trying to figure out if he was bullshitting her, but she couldn’t. If he was lying to her, he was a damn good actor. But he had asked why she was surprised to hear that, so this had to be said, no matter the consequences. “Because Sean was one of the witnesses.”
Chapter Six
Ryder rose and poured himself a glass of wine. This was going to be a long night. When he sat down again, he eyed Maddox carefully. He’d known him and Sean when they all were kids, even though both were a couple years older than him and Hugh. Sean and Maddox had been the best of friends before they each left Racy for different reasons.
Ryder knew they’d had a falling out in Chicago, but once they’d returned, they seemed to have put their differences behind them and become good friends once again. Especially after both men started seeing Julie.
No one in Racy knew exactly what had gone on in Chicago between the two, but Julie probably did. Everyone has something in their past they wish hadn’t happened. He’d never believed that either Maddox or Sean were trying to hide anything about their pasts, but this story had certainly taken an unexpected and interesting turn.
To his credit, Maddox did look surprised by Brynn’s statement. “I think it might be better to continue this conversation with Sean present, since clearly things were said and done during that fight that I don’t know about.”
Spoken like a true politician. Ryder always had believed that Maddox would have made a better replacement for Bernie Crumb as mayor than Zach Kincaid. He had nothing against Zach, but Maddox had a way of side-stepping an issue that didn’t leave anyone in the room feeling slighted.
“I agree,” said Brynn. She sounded mentally exhausted and utterly defeated. He truly felt badly for her. She hadn’t asked for any of this, and unless she’d fed them all a line, she’d believed all this talk about fights, rape, and murder was behind her and that she’d moved on. He was sure she hadn’t expected her past to land in her lap today.
Maddox and Julie exchanged a look that Ryder couldn’t interpret, and then they rose. “Thanks for the dinner offer, but we’ll take you up on it another time. I promise you that I’ll talk to Sean, and ask that he get in touch with you as soon as possible so Brynn can have some closure on this.”
Ryder and Hugh stood, and then so did Brynn. She eyed Maddox for a second or two, and then she walked forward with her hand extended. “Thank you. I would appreciate that. I want to stay here, and it would be a lot more pleasant if you, Sean, and I were on the same side.”
Maddox nodded several times as he shook her hand. “Sure, sure. I agree. Enjoy the rest of your evening, you three.”
Hugh walked them out, and Ryder took advantage of the moment alone with Brynn to give her a hug. He’d been wanting to do that as soon as they’d helped her up from the floor in Nan’s Place. She smelled like flowery shampoo and chocolate, which was actually an enticing combination. “I’m sorry about all this. You must be devastated.”
She didn’t pull away, even after there was no way she’d miss the fact that his damn dick had sprung to attention as soon as he’d pulled her close. “I hope Maddox was wrong about seeing Eddie in town. Why the hell would he come here?”
Revenge. But Ryder didn’t say that. She wasn’t stupid. She knew that was one very logical possibility. “I don’t know.”
She’d just pulled out of his embrace when Hugh came back into the room, carrying two large pizza boxes. “They’re missing out. We go
t free wings with our order.”
He spread the food out on the coffee table, then excused himself to get napkins and paper plates.
Ryder opened the boxes. “They both probably went straight to the station to tell Sean everything we said.”
“I hope so. And I hope they tell him that I ratted him out.”
Ryder frowned. “I’m not sure Maddox knew about that. He looked genuinely surprised.”
“I don’t know if he did or not. He wasn’t there that night. But he was still in Chicago at the time it happened.”
Ryder took a piece with pepperoni and began to eat it. The hell with plates. “But didn’t you say he and Maddox weren’t still friends by then?”
She grabbed a piece with sausage and onions and began to eat as well. Ryder smiled. He loved a girl who wasn’t afraid to eat with her fingers. “Yes. That’s true. So it’s possible he never heard about the threats that Eddie made that night. But the cops did. Or they should have. They should have interviewed everyone there that night, but I doubt they bothered.”
“Did they interview you?”
“Yes. And I told them about the threats. I gave them the names of everyone in the room.”
Ryder nodded. That means they knew Sean was there. But Sean was a cop back then. “You know how it is. Kinky-sex lifestyle means she was asking for it. They probably didn’t take it seriously. But that doesn’t help you now, does it? She was your friend. And the man who you believe raped and killed her might be hanging around your new hometown.”
“What am I going to do?”
Hugh returned, glanced from one to the other, placed the plates and napkins on the table, and then took the pizza from Brynn’s hand and placed it on a plate. He took her hands, and a pang of jealous shot through Ryder, but he tamped it down. Hadn’t he just been hugging her before Hugh came in?
“Now you listen to me. Maddox might have been mistaken about seeing Eddie. And even if he wasn’t, Sean will know about this in short order. Whatever his past with you, I can promise you that Sean and the other cops in Racy are not going to let a potential rapist and killer run loose on the streets. We’ve had some serious shit in this town, and they’re always on it. We’ll get this sorted out. I guarantee it.”
He glanced over her shoulder toward Ryder. “Tell her I’m right.”
He wiped his hands on a napkin and moved closer to Brynn, whose eyes looked like deep green pools of still water right now. He wanted to dive in and never resurface. “He’s right. I told you that Sean is part bloodhound, remember? He won’t let his past with you cloud his judgment. He’s too good of a detective for that, and he loves this town.”
“But what if they never believe I have nothing to do with Eddie being here? Or that I put all that behind me years ago?”
“They will. He won’t let this go. He was probably just shocked to see you, as was Maddox. I’m not saying either one reacted in the best way, but Maddox and Julie will tell Sean everything that happened here tonight. It won’t be long until we hear from him again.”
Her eyes finally lost the haunted look, and then Hugh released her hands. Ryder picked up his pizza again because the urge to pull her close and kiss her was too strong. They ate as Hugh turned on the TV, surfing until he found an old The Three Stooges show.
“I love these guys,” she said. “Can we watch this?”
He and Hugh exchanged a glance, and then they laughed.
“What did I say that was so funny?”
“Nothing,” said Ryder. “It’s just that we love them, too, but neither of us has ever found a woman who thinks so.”
She settled back against the sofa cushions, smiling. “Well, you have now.”
* * * *
Brynn finally relaxed as she ate pizza and wings and watched the antics of Larry, Curly, and Moe with Ryder and Hugh. It was silly, slapstick comedy that she loved because she didn’t have to think. And that was especially needed right now.
Having to tell the story to Ryder and Hugh tonight had brought back every horrible memory of learning about Zakia’s death. If she found out that Sean had never bothered to talk to the cops in Chicago, she didn’t think she could forgive him. He’d known Zakia as well as any of them, and he knew Kane and Sarina as well. Had his infatuation with Sarina clouded his judgment that much back then? He’d still been a cop. He should have intervened, even if it wasn’t his precinct in which the rape and murder had happened.
How dare he give her such a hassle for being here when he had a skeleton like that in his closet? Was that part of why he’d been so upset to see her? Was he afraid she’d spill his secret? Did he know that Eddie was here, and had he believed that she and Eddie both had come back to expose his screw up all those years ago?
“Brynn? What do you think of that idea?”
“What?” She snapped her gaze to Hugh’s face. He’d just asked her a question and she had no idea what it was. “I’m sorry. What did you ask?” The TV was off and she hadn’t even noticed. This was ridiculous. She needed to get a grip. All of this was speculation until she learned the truth from Sean himself.
“I asked if you’d like that house tour now.”
“Yes. Yes, I would. I’d love it.” Anything to take her mind off what had happened ten years ago.
Hugh’s home was everything she’d imagined it would be from the outside. He’d obviously hired a decorator, and as he pointed out various pieces and explained whether he’d bought them or if they’d been handed down in his family, she understood why certain career paths had been expected of him.
With an uncle as head of the ER and an aunt the local charity event queen, the Sinclair name in Racy was almost as famous as the Malloy family name. Maybe even more so. His brother worked at Notus, his cousin was the fire chief, and everyone else he mentioned were either CEOs of companies in cities like New York or LA, or were noted physicians and other leaders in health care.
He didn’t need to explain to her why certain things had been expected of him. With a family tree like his, it was self-explanatory. And it made what he’d decided to do simply because he loved it all the more admirable. She liked both men for that reason. They went their own ways and had chosen career paths out of a love for the work, not because someone had expected them to, or because they could make more cash or earn more prestige working in a different field.
When they finally came to his bedroom upstairs, she caught a glimpse of his true personality as opposed to tasteful décor that was more than likely as expected of him as his career choice had been. At last. She liked this Hugh Sinclair much better.
She stood in the center of his bedroom and twirled in a slow circle, taking it all in. From the dark draperies to the low lighting, it had the look of an exclusive BDSM club. And it looked nothing like the rest of the house. Bondage apparatus lined the walls, and she suspected the large armoire tucked against the far wall contained toys.
He pointed. “The bathroom is through that door.” She followed him into the most luxurious bathroom she’d ever seen. Marble fixtures and tiles, gold faucets, and a sunken tub that would easily hold half a dozen people. It overlooked an intricate window that didn’t need treatments to enhance its beauty. There was just enough light left outside to see that the view offered nothing but trees.
“No one lives behind me. And when the trees have all their leaves, even if you stood out there, you’d need a telescope to see inside this room.”
“It’s beautiful. Thank you for showing it to me.”
She turned to face him, and nearly gasped at the look of hope and lust in his eyes. It was a crazy thought, but tonight was full of crazy thoughts. Ryder’s eyes held the same emotions, but his also contained trepidation, as though he wasn’t quite sure how she’d react to the unspoken questions on both their faces.
“What would you like to do now?” asked Hugh, his voice soft but full of meaning. She wasn’t stupid. She knew what he wanted to do. She knew what they both wanted to do. And she knew that it was likely obv
ious on her face and in her body language that she felt the same way.
But she’d just met them. And after everything that had been revealed tonight, why would they want to start a physical relationship with her? Or was this simply about a one-time thing? Just a bit of fun, and the hell with what happened tomorrow? She had to know before they went any further. Either way was all right with her, but she had to know up front what they intended from this night, if anything.
Brynn had never had casual sex, and certainly not with two men at the same time. But she was drained and raw right now, and she needed their physical comfort as well as the emotional connection even casual sex with them would bring.
She’d been more attracted to these two from the moment she’d first glanced into their faces than she’d ever been to anyone. But so much was uncertain right now, starting with her future here in Racy. It wouldn’t be fair to her or to them to assume anything right now, so she had to speak up. “This isn’t my usual MO. I’ve never done this. And I’ve never had sex with two men at once.”
Hugh shook his head. “We don’t do this either. We’ve never even topped a sub at the same time.”
“Then why me? Why tonight?” Even her voice trembled. Every nerve ending was on fire. She wanted this so badly but at the same time, she didn’t want to be made a fool of.
Hugh stepped forward and cupped her face. She stared into those beautiful gray eyes, so full of emotion. “Because something in your eyes calls to me. Because I love the color of your hair, and the smokiness in your voice. Because my heart melted a little at the look on your face when Maddox told you that he’d seen Eddie in town. For all those reasons, and because I believe you. I believe your story. And I want to get to know you better, Brynn. Much better.”
She could hardly breathe. As Ryder stepped forward, Hugh released her face and allowed Ryder to move in close enough to take her hands. He had the most beautiful blue eyes she’d ever seen. Right now, they were as dark as sapphires. “I don’t understand my reaction to you, but I don’t want to analyze it. I’ve always believed in going with my gut, and my instincts tell me you’re telling the truth. I like you, Brynn. I like you a lot. You’re pretty, intelligent, and passionate. You believe in noble things like honesty and integrity. I want to make love to you. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but this isn’t a one-night thing for me.”
